The Canadian government has issued advice warning citizens to prepare for a hypothetical new virus that could lead to food and fuel disruptions.

The Centre for Occupational Health and Safety rolled out a second edition of their Flu and Infectious Disease Outbreaks Business Continuity Plan Handbook.

The guide provides information for employers on what to prepare for in the face of another pandemic.  In the new edition, released in June, they focus on a ‘hypothetical virus’, that they warn could trigger further disruption that Covid-19. 

It states that ‘based on trends from past pandemic flu, there may be a higher average number of illness and deaths in age groups different than what we typically see during annual flu seasons.’ The guide also warns employers must be ready for a scenario like an disease outbreak or a pandemic which forces people to stay home.

It says: ‘If there is a pandemic, how many people will be off work? It is impossible to determine with certainty.

‘Estimates vary because no one will know for sure how ill the new virus will make people, how fast it will spread, or how many people will not go to work, until it happens.’

A future pandemic ‘will come in two or three waves about three to nine months separating each outbreak’, it adds. 

The hypothetical virus could also last in these cycles for as much as two years, the report warns.

It adds that people should brace for disruptions like reduced labor, supply chain issues and shifts in consumer demand.  

Among those disruptions include telecommunications, banking, water, gasoline, medicine and food. 

Read More Here